Back in the dark ages, when I was at the University of Alabama, my teacher congratulated us for choosing communications as our major. “The future will belong to communications,” he told us. “As technology progresses, our computers will get smaller and smaller. They will combine with mobile phones and will eventually fit into the palms of our hands.” 

I was with a colleague at a music conference some years back. While purchasing some music, my friend was treating the person at the cash register like a servant.  It was embarrassing. Finally, I whispered to her, “Take a closer look at who you’re ignoring.” Her eyes got huge and completely changed her attitude toward the “clerk.” 

James Taylor loves me.

Back in September,  I did something I've done less than a handful of times in my life. I went to a concert.  A non- religious. non-classical concert. And during the concert, someone shouted out: “We love you!” And James stopped and in a very sincere way responded with, “I love you, too.” 

“But God is faithful" are four of the most beautiful words in the Bible. 

The phrase comes from I Corinthians 10:13, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength,” but it’s a theme that resounds all throughout the Bible.  No matter what comes against us, God is faithful. 

Which is easier? Legalism or grace?

I think our initial response would be grace. We think of legalism as being harsh, when actually, legalism is the easier way out.

It all began with a sermon I preached at a previous church on being single in the ministry. Although people look at you like there’s something wrong with you, the apostle Paul thought it best that Christians stayed single! And why? Because they can serve God without anxiety. 

Sometimes life is wonderful, and that’s great. We praise God for the good times. But what about those times when life isn’t so good? Do we give up on God?

No. 

Not long ago I heard someone say, “There’s no way I’m telling God how I really feel about [whatever the situation they were dealing with was].” 

I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you what’s wrong with that! The good Lord already knew what she was thinking! Second, the good Lord wants us to be honest with him – even when it think our feelings about something seem “improper.” 

My mother was raised in the hills and the hollows around Paint Rock Valley in Jackson County, Alabama.  As much as she loved Jesus and as much as she was always a joyful person, her taste in non-religious music was pretty grim. 

One of my most meaningful adventures was spending a week in Salisbury Cathedral in England. My host was the coordinator for the children’s choirs. One of the cathedral leaders told me that this was the most organized the children’s choirs had ever been. I asked him, “Does that mean that in the nearly 800 years the choirs have been singing, that it took an American to straighten you all out?”

Do you have your black-eyed peas soaking? Are your collards cleaned and ready to cook? Do you have everything you need to make your cornbread (except sugar, of course, because it doesn’t belong in cornbread)? 

For me, Christmas isn’t Christmas without reading Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Not only that, but there are at least 3 versions of the story I HAVE to watch during the season: the 1951 British version, Scrooge (a 1970 musical - the music isn’t always great, but the movie is pretty faithful to the book), and the Muppets’ version (with Michael Caine as maybe the best of all Scrooges). 

During my senior year in college,  I discovered the library in Houston, Texas, had full-length 16 mm movies I could check out, and every few weeks I would bring back to campus a classic movie I’d heard of, but had never seen. Once, when the movie I wanted wasn’t available (Here Comes Mr. Jordan which I still haven’t seen), the library substituted something called It’s a Wonderful Life instead.

It’s that time of year. 

I was sitting at a restaurant in Athens last week when they emerged from the background noise.  One after another. All 3. In a row. First, Mary Did You Know. Then, Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart (a stinker by George Michael). And finally, So This is Christmas (Paul McCartney’s only lame song). 

Have you ever heard of the Mandela Effect? The Mandela Effect is a collective false memory, where many people share the same incorrect recollection of the same detail or event. The term was coined by Francis Broome, who while attending a conference, shared memories with other people about Nelson Mandela's death in a South African prison in the 1980s. The others remembered seeing news coverage of his death as well as a speech by his widow. 

My freshman year of college, I was a journalism major at the University of Alabama and had one of the worst teachers of my life. She was from Long Island and told us she came to Alabama to prove just how stupid southerners were!  

This Sunday’s service is one of my absolute favorites of the year – our Thanksgiving service! Giving thanks to God is at the core of our worship, but this service is completely dedicated to giving thanks.

And there’s food! 

Last Wednesday morning, I was interviewed about Christ Church by a seminary student. He’s taking a church planting class and wanted to interview me because, well, we aren’t the typical church plant. 

During the interview, I had the chance to think through our history as a congregation, and for some of the distinctives that make us unique.

I heard something last Sunday that I don't hear very often. I heard people say, “Amen.” Now, I know most of you come from Methodist or other more “high church” backgrounds where you aren’t particularly used to saying it . . . so when I hear it, I’m quite surprised! 

Well. . . it’s Halloween week,  so I’ll start with a story. A ghost story – a true ghost story. February 2010 was one of the worst periods of my life. My allergies had gone nuts and I couldn’t sleep lying down, so I slept in my recliner. But this particular night I couldn’t sleep at all. You know those times . . . you’re afraid you’ve made some huge mistake; you feel hopeless; you feel trapped; you can’t turn your mind off.